Evaporating apparatus.



T. F. sANBORN. EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1910,

1,028,792. Pmtented June 4, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

T. P. SANBORN.

EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED D130. 28, 1910.

Patented June 4, 1912 3 SHEBTSSHEET 2.

I. F. SANBORN.

EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC 28, 1910.

Patented June 4,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

/ RHHHHH H H H" I aratus. p

-s'rns PATN no THORNTON F. SANBORN, OF ENSENADA, PORTO RICO, ASSIGNOR T0 SANIBORN EVAPORA'IOR COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

, EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4., 1912;

at Ensenada, Porto Rico, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Evaporating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

--Th1s lnvention relates to evaporating ap- The present invention has reference, more particularly, to that class ofvacuum sugar evaporating apparatus known as effects and has relation to the individual elfect-s or units as well as to their association in batteries of two to eight, or even more, cells.

In the present invention, heating of the juice in the cell is accomplished by vertical tubes closed at their upper ends and having their lower ends in communication with a steam chamber fromwhich they are heated. Arranged within the heating tubes in'a novel manner and communicating with a separate chamber are take-off tubes by which the non-condensable gases withinthe said heating tubes are instantaneously and constantly drawn ofi', insuring free access of the steam to all points'of the heating tubes and uniform heating of the entire surface thereof and the greatest possible heating effect on the juice in the cell and'permitting the ready removal, by flaking, of any incrustation forming on the exterior of said heating tubes.

Cells embodying the invention set forth may be combined in multiple effect to any extent desired, the partially evaporated juice and the vapors arising from ebullition thereof being carried from one cell or effect to another, in succession, the condensation of Water and non-condensable gases from the heating tubes of a preceding cell being carried to asucceeding cell, and so on through I the series, but such arrangement is not essential as they may be taken off from the respective cells as fast as formed, if preferred. In eachcell or effect is a vapor separator for returning to the cell such juices as may have vapors passing to the succeeding cell.

' In the accompanying drawings :-l iguro 1 is a side elevation of a quadrupleefl'eet, one of the cells being in section to show the invention, and only a portion of the heating tubes and takeoff tubes being shown; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; and Fig. :2 vertical section through one of the cells. the tubes rator being removed. 1 The cells or effects 1 may be used singly or in any desired multiples such as two, four, six, eight, or even more, a quadruple effect being illustrated. The cells or effects .are of the same construct-ion and the description of one only will be given.

The cell has'a bottom or tube sheet'which is inclined, being preferably of the conical form shown. Expanded into the bottomor tube sheet 2 at 3 are concentric circles of-i'ndividual heating pipes or tubes 4 whose up per ends are closed. These heatingt ubes may be of copper,,brass, iron, or other suitable material according to the charactenaof the liquid to be evaporated. Their only openings are their mouths at their lower ends which open into the steam or heating chamber 5 below said bottom or tube sheet 2 and defined by the head or bot-tom plate 6.

being in full and dotted lines and the sepa Below the head or bottom plate 6 is a plate 7 which, in connection with head 6, defines The a non-condensable gas chamber 8. sheets or plates 2, 6 and 7 are suitably secured together and to the body'of the cell,

the respective cells or effects being supported by channel and I-beams 9 in turn suitably supported on columns or other suitable foundation.

The sheets or plates 2, 6 and 7 are substantially parallel, being of concaved or dished form so that the juice will"gravitate from the bottom of sheet'2 through the juice outlet pipe 10, the waterof condensation will pass out through the outlet 11 andthe noncondensable gases will pass 'out readily through-the out-let 12. Expanded or otherwise suitably secured in the head 6 are the take-of? tubes 13 which open at their lower ends 14 into the chamber S-and extend up through chamber 5 into the respective heating tubes 4 to near or at the top'or closed upper ends thereof, into which they open The steam from chamber 5. which passes into the heating tubes 4, heats thejuicein the cell and keeps it boiling. A certain amount of this steam will condense within the tubes 4 and flow by gravity into the chamber 5 and drain on through theoutlet I l but considerable volumes of non-condensal'ile gases are evolved which, in practice.

tend to remain in the heating tubes of whatever type may be employed III the cell, thus deadening the heating effect of the steam on the juice at certain areas of the tubes. Were the take-oil tubes not employed, the tendency of these non-condensable gases would be to remain in the upper'parts of the heating tubes and to deaden them, but a vacuum, will presently appear, acting on the tubes 13 causes all non-condensable gases to be drawn down from the heating tubes 4 through said tubes 13, into the chamber 8 and out through the outlet 12 so that every part of the heating tubes 4 is effective in conveying heat to the juice in the cell and the drainage and carrying off of .the non-condensable gases is insured, all of the heating tubes being under uniform pressure at all times so that each receives its full quota of steam and the juice is uniformly heated. The vertical disposition of the heating tubes permits the free upward passage of the steam or heating vaporthe normal direction of travel-- which is sided by the condensation occurring within the tubes and the take-oil effect at the upper ends thereof due to the vacuum in the tubes 13.

The arrangement permittin of the crfect and uniform heating of al of the heating tubes by the steam, the natural expansion of the tubes may be availed of to aid in the removal of incrustations that may accumulate .on the outside of the tubes for, by merely raising the temperature of the cell, a greater expansion of the heating tubes 4 occurs, which, being inside the film of 11'!- crustation, flakes it 0H. t

The steam is admitted to the first cell of the series through the inlet 16 (Fig. 2), di-

rectly entering chamber 5. The upper part of each cell, save the last of the series, is.

connected to the steam space 5 of the succeeding cell by a vapor pipe 17, the vapor pipe ot the final cell or effect being connected to the condenser 18 which is coupled at 19 to a suitable vacuum pump whereby a vacuum, graded in degree from the weakest in the first cell to the strongest in the final cell of the series, is maintained in said cells.

The respective cells are encircled, preferably, by juice siipply pipes 20 which have juice inlets 21 leading to the cell'at a plurality of points. The juice is initially supplied to the pipe 20 of the first cell and the outlet pipe 10 of each cell, save tlie last of the series, is connected to the pipe 20 of the succeeding cell, suitable valves 22 being in-.

terposed at points of the piping for the control of the juice. The juice outlet from the final cell or effect is coupled to a pump at'23.

All of the coi'ldensation water outlets 11 are connected to a line of, piping 24 in which is interposed separators 25 which are in turn connected b pipes 26 to the vapor inlets l6, of'all ce ls following the first of the series so that any steam or vapor accompanying the water condensation is delivered (11- Preferably in the upper part of each cell there isprovided a separator 27 provided with a back flow or drain pipe 28 leading down to the juice above the heating tubes 4 for the delivery back into the cell of any juice which may have entrained with the vapor passing from the cell.

It is preferable for rapid and economical operation that the admission of thin juice to the first cell or effect and its transit from cell to cell and its withdrawal as a finished product fromthe final cell or effect he a continuous, regular operation but not necessarily sobecause the juice may be taken off from any cell. Likewise, it is preferable, though not necessary, that the Water of condensation be separated and any entrained steam carried into the steam space of the succeeding cell; also, thatthe non-condensable gases of one cell be led to the steam space ,of a succeeding cell, but the invention is not limited to thissuccessive treatment as the water of condensation and the non-condensables may be taken off separately from the respective cells or effects.

In boiling in the first cell, the juice becomes heavier, and this partially'evaporated liquid is drawn by the vacuum into the succeeding cell through the pipe 10 and again leaves that cell through the correspondingly designated pipe to pass to a following cell further evaporation occurring in each cel and final evaporation in the final cell or effect, the finished product being withdrawn by the pump coulpled at 23. The rapid ebullition frequent y carries along with the vapor which passes through the pipes 17, minute particles of the liquid under treatment. The separators 27 return this entrained liquor to the cell from which it is drawn, permitting only the steam or vapor to pass throughthe pipes 17 to the succeeding cells. The non-condensable gases are drawn by the vacuum from one cell to the other, the complete heat efi'ect thereof being thus obtained.

In the-use of the word wall wherever appearing in the claims, I intend to coverv all positions of the heating tubes, whether extending into the evaporating chamber. from the bottom thereof, the sides, or the top, as the heating tubesand the takeoff tubes may be arranged otherwise than at the bottom of the evaporating chamber.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An evaporating effect or cell, having an inclined tube sheet or bottom, for the evapo- I rating chamber, upwardly extending heating their lower ends ing tubes c osed at their upper ends and havsecured to and opening through the said inclined bottom, a juice take-off or outlet leading from the said in clined bottom, a steam chamber below said tube sheet and which has an inclined bottom, take-01f tubes secured to and opening through said inclined bottom'of the steam chamber and having their upper parts extending into the heating tubes to near the upperclosed ends thereof and there open to the interior of the heating tubes, at conden sation outlet for the steam chamber, a chamber below the steam chamber and with which the take-cit tubes communicate and an outlet for said chamber last-named, said outlet being subject to vacuum, whereby the non-condensable gases are drawn off from the heating t-ubes.-

2. A multiple evaporating etl'ect having a plurality of cells, each cell having in com bination, heating tubes closed at one end and secured at the other end to a wall of the evaporating chamber and opening therethrotigh, a steam chan'iber with which said heating tubes connmlnieate, take-ofi' tubes extending into the heating tubes and open to the interior thereof, and means for conveying the non-condcnsable gases from the heating tubes of one cell through the takeoff tubes thereof to the steam chamber of a succeeding cell.

3. A multiple evaporating efl'ect, having a plurality of cells, each cell having in combination, a bottom for the evaporating chamber, upright heating tubes closed at their upper ends and secured at their lower "ends to the bottom and opening there-v through, a steam chamber with which said heating tubes communicate, take-off tubes extending up into the heating tubes and open to the interior thereof, a pipe line for taking oil the water of condensation from the respective cells, and separators in said pipe line for conveying to the steam spa e of a succeeding cell the vapor or steam en training with the condensation water flowing from a preceding cell.

4. A multiple evaporating eflect, having a plurality-of cells, each cell having in combination with the evaporating chamber thereof, heating tubes imperforate where disposed within the evaporating ,chamber, a steam chamber with which the heating tubes communicate, take-oft tubes communicating with the interior of the said heating tubes, a chamber with which. communicate, vacuum producing means for the multiple effect, and means afiording communication between the chamber with which the t-ake-ofi' tubes communicate vin a given cell and the steam chamber of a succeeding cell, whereby the non-condensable. gases are removed from the heating tubes of the respective cells.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, THORNTON l SANBORN. Witnesses Gno. A. llaiunnv,

S. V. Loonwoon. 

